The Right Mistake
by Zaphie Boo
Summary: Wishful thinking of things never to come again and a seemingly broken promise are not as they appear. Things may not be as wrong as they seem. Infact, they may be much worse. NaruSasu, slight AU


**Dislcaimer**: Does not belong to Zaphie. Kishimoto is the genius!!  
**Rating**: **NC-17** in later chapters. _BE WARNED_!!  
**Spoilers**: There may be a few.. I'm not sure.  
**Pairings**: NaruSasu, SakuLee, KakaIru, GaaSai

**Summary**: _Wishful thinking of things never to come again and a seemingly broken promise are not as they appear. Things may not be as wrong as they seem. Infact, they could be much worse._ _NaruSasu, slight AU  
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It was late; the sun long gone, taking its light and warmth with it. Only darkness and cold remained, devouring everything and turning them into a variation of blacks and deep grays. It was a constant reminder, bringing back memories that could cause eyes to sting from holding back tears that begged to be shed just once more. Memories of starlit nights where fireflies darted in the clear sky, like falling stars. Memories of soft breaths ghosting against a cheek, unconsciously loosening the strings attached to a frozen heart. Memories of shouted dreams with snarling insults followed by stinging punches. Memories of nights that would never be again.

He held no illusions; he'd given everything for just one. _Vengeance_. Yet, he could not truly regret his decision, only drift into his mind and recall what could never be again. Not in this life, but maybe in another.. Someday.

"Sasuke-kun, Lord Orochimaru wishes to see you?" It's a calculative tone, devoid of true human emotion.

"Hn," is his reply as he steps around the silver-haired man, making him think of his former sensei's hair. Silvery and wildly spiked, though, he cast it effortlessly from his mind as the freezing night air became the stifling, acrid aroma of Orochimaru's newest base. The smell of rot and experimentation fresh in the air. It was suffocating, but he was used to it.

The hallways were narrow, carved from rock and stone. Assessing the apparent age of the minerals, he gauged them to be several hundred feet below the surface, where he'd been only minutes before. It was dark and moist, the occasional torch cutting through the shadows to give off a faint glow. Trying to bring light to the otherwise abysmal darkness.

Eventually, the stretching and loping corridor gave way to a double-set, oak door. Wrapping pale fingers against the iron knocker attached, he rapped only three times before relinquishing his grip and taking a step back, an aura of utter boredom and indifference radiating from his stoic form.

"Come on in, Sasuke-kun!" was called out into the eerie silence, forcing Sasuke to surpress the urge to shiver. There were things about Orochimaru that not even he could ignore or even claim ignorance to. He'd become all too aware of it, especially with the end of the current body's time fast approaching.

Unceremoniously pushing open one of the two doors, Sasuke stepped inside, allowing it to click shut on its own. His obsidian eyes falling on one of the legendary Sannin, seated in a plush chair the hue of a rich crimson, matching the color of the fabled Sharingan.

"Sasuke," the man began, smirking at the teenager that had grown from the Genin he'd stolen from Konoha years prior. "You look well. I see that Kabuto has taken good care of you after that incident," the word was emphasized as a long tongue flicked out to smooth over thin lips, ever smirking. "Do you feel any better?"

Cold eyes of a disgusting shade of yellow raked over the young man, appraising what would soon be him as much as appreciating the muscular upper chest visible through the open garment he wore as well as the sharp, yet somehow delicate, angles that made up the young body. Smooth, pale skin that had somehow remained mostly blemish free save for the few scars that looked like tiny spiderwebs across the ghostly skin. Beautiful was a word that came to mind.

"What do you want?" Sasuke snapped, not being one to play the games that Orochimaru teased everyone else with. The Uchiha was smarter than that, and he had too much pride to sink so low. However, seeing the too personal look he was receiving, his eyes narrowed, brimming over in barely continued rage and volatile intent.

The charcoal-haired man could only chuckle lowly, a gruff sound that resonated in his bones as he eyed the seventeen year old. So brazen and proud, he loved to watch the young man. He was perfect at everything he did, and he didn't even need to put his mind to it. Everything came naturally to the prodigy. The Sannin couldn't help but wonder if that grace would pass to him once he silenced the boy's soul and implanted his own. He truly hoped so.

"_Tsk. Tsk. Tsk_," he chided, lowering his head a fraction as his arms lay limp against the arm-rests. Eyes doing one last sweep up the strong line of the raven's body. "Manners, Sasuke. Manners." As the last word died on the musky air, Orochimaru reclined his cranium against the back of the chair he sat in. "I was just wanting to check on you. Make sure everything was going to be ready for next week," he sneered, watching the acknowledgement flash over those normally impassive, dark eyes.

Sasuke knew what fate awaited him in only four more days, and he knew that there was nothing left in this world that could save him. Orochimaru had men watching, following, and investigating the young Uchiha every second of every minute of every hour. Orochimaru had been too late the first time to claim the raven's body as his own. That would not be repeated it seemed.

_In only four days, Orochimaru would possess the Sharingan, and Sasuke's soul would be lost to the world forever.  
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-**Far Away But Looking at The Same Sky**-

The sky seemed so dark without the sun, and neither the moon nor the stars seemed inclined to make an appearance that night. It was cold, unnaturally so for a summer night. Somehow, it reminded him of a time that seemed like a faraway dream now. Dreams of shared meals which grew to become a competition. Dreams of laying side by side, watching fireflies while speaking of training, missions, and meaningless things. Dreams of waking by the startled realization that an arm was wrapped protectively across his shoulders, holding fast as he felt the other's beating heart just beneath his blushing cheek. Dreams of slowly untangling himself before the other awoke and punched in horror. Dreams... That's all they were now. Failed dreams that had grown to become his current nightmares.

He'd made a promise, and he claimed to never go back on his word. Sadly, though, it had been five years now. There was no doubt in his mind. The promise was broken, and the other was long gone, presence pushed to the back of the once cunning mind to make room for the demented, _son-of-a-bitch, snake-loving_...

"Hey, Dickless!" It snapped him out of his thoughts with an obvious scowl marring his normally smiling face and expressive eyes.

"Oi! I told you not to call me that, Sai!" he growled as he jumped down from the tree he'd been reclining in. "Those penis jokes are really starting to get old," he added, glaring at the pseudo-smile calmly placed over pale, thin lips.

"It's time to trade watch," the dark-haired teen explained, tilting his head gingerly to one side, aiming for a look of innocence.

Azure eyes narrowed for a moment, remembering how all the girls had squealed over how much Sai resembled Sasuke, but Naruto just couldn't see it. He lacked the coldness, the arrogant yet cunning mind always scrutinizing, the grace that came from years of training relentlessly towards goal, and so much more. But the dark hair, darker eyes, and palest skin did bring back the image of the fifteen year old Sasuke he'd encountered once. Of course, that Sasuke hadn't been _his _Sasuke...

"Yeah. I guess I wasn't paying attention to the time," the blond replied after a moment of thought, rubbing at the back of his neck with a sheepish grin.

Sai didn't say another word, simply jumping onto the branch that Naruto had previously occupied, eyes already doing a quick sweep of the area, ignoring the eighteen-year old beneath him. Not rudeness, Sai didn't understand human emotions. Never did, though, with Naruto's and the library's help, he was learning.

Shaking his head lightly, Naruto decided to leave Sai to his watch. He needed at least a couple hours of sleep before the morning came. They were still a good eleven hours from their destination, and that was if they hurried.

As he silently stalked towards the camp, less than a mile from where he'd left Sai, Naruto could make out the form of Sakura's sleeping body, curled up in her sleeping-bag. That wasn't what caught his attention or forced him to bite the gum on the inside of his mouth to keep from bursting out in laughter, though. No, it was what the kunoichi was muttering, talking in her sleep.

"_Lee.. I.. Love.. Springtime_.."

He had the suspicion that she'd probably meant that she loved Lee, but she'd said springtime, instead. It wasn't really funny, unless you knew them both. Especially around each other. Lee was always yelling and shouting and preaching about the _'Springtime of Their Youth'_, and Sakura was always threatening to hit him right in the jaw if he didn't shut up. And one hit from Sakura's fist was like a hundred from Lee himself, despite being better at taijutsu than her.

Shuddering at all of the times she'd hit him, Naruto walked around the dozing girl and slipped into his own sleeping bag. Unlike his teammate, though, sleep did not come for him. Instead of sweet oblivion or even endless nightmares, blue eyes stayed trained on the wide sky overhead, afraid of what they'd find tomorrow.

It was an anonymous tip, one that had been thoroughly investigated before assigning their team to it. A single, and small sparrow had flown through Tsunade's office window one morning, clutching a small message in it's right foot. As soon as chestnut eyes had spotted the small intruder, it had vanished in a poof of smoke. _A summoned animal_. That message, though, had glided down to land softly on her desk.

Inside of that small, folded piece of paper was something that had stopped Naruto's heart, though, he didn't dare to believe it. If he believed it like he had believed every lead in the past five years, he knew that he would die this time. There had been too much disappointment already. No more. He couldn't take anymore.

Sasuke _was_gone. That's all there was to it; he could no longer believe in destiny or miracles or anything that had once driven his ambitious boasting. On the outside, he was still the hyperactive, knuckle-headed, cheerful Naruto that everyone knew, but on the _inside_...

Closing his eyes against the first signs of the rising run, he waited patiently for Sai to come and wake them both, probably with a jibe at Naruto's package and Sakura's looks.

-**The Message**-

_Hokage-san, the Uchiha heir is not yet Orochimaru. The jutsu was delayed two years ago, but time is running out. You have six days before it is done. His base is in the outskirts of Grass._

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**A/N**: Hi, people! I like coffee... Oh, and this is just the prologue to the fanfic 'The Right Mistake'. Let me know what you think of it so that I know if I should continue!! Comments, suggestions, and everything else are luffed!! I hope you enjoy it.


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